Carbonating apparatus



July 7, 1942. J, uc' s 2,289,135

CARBONATING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 22, 1939 "1'. at. & 32? so ATTORNEY.

Patented July 7, 1942.

CARBONATING APPARATUS John S. Lucas, Santa Rosa, Calif., assignor of forty-eight per cent to D. R. Minogue, Vallejo,

Calif.

Application November 22, 1939, Serial No..3il5.,.652 5 Claims. (01. 22667) This invention relates to carbonating apparatus which is particularly intended for use behind soda fountain counters, bars, and like places where it is desiredto carbonate and bottle small quantities of water and beverages for immediate consumption or to cap for future use.

The object of the present invention is generally to improve and simplify the construction and operation of apparatus of the character described; to provide an apparatus which is .applicable to practically any size or type ofbottle and which permits filling the bottles with water or beverage and then charging or carbonating the water or beverage directly in the bottle; to provide means for sealing the bottle during the charging operation, to prevent any leakage or waste of carbon dioxide gas; to provide a shield which completely encloses the bottle during the charging operation, thereby preventing injury to the operator in the event a bottle should burst;

and further, to provide a charging, apparatus including a seal and a shield for the bottle which is quickly applied and just as readil removed from the bottle after .the charging operation.

The. invention is shown by way of illustration Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the combination base and chuck.

Referring to the drawing in detail, and particularly to Figs. 1 and 5, A indicates in general a combination base and chuck which consists of a central raised base 2 surrounded by a depressed annular channel 3 and an upturned flange t in which are formed slots 5, the function of which will hereinafter appear. Formed integrally with the base are a pair of down-.

wardly projecting lugs 6 which are spaced apart suiii-ciently to permit them to straddle the edge of a sink or other convenient fixture disposed behind the bar or counter of a soda fountain or the like, and carried by one of the lugs is a set or clamping screw 1 whereby the combination base and chuck may be rigidly secured tothe sink.

Inaddition to the combination base, andchuck indicatedat A, theapparatus requiredforcharging or ,carbonating water andbeverages comprises a .charginghead .B, a jacket C, and a bottom section D. Any type of bottle sufficiently strong to withstand the carbonating pressure may. be employed. For instance, if quart size bottles are selected, the jacket C and bottom D will be made to fit that size bottle. On the other hand,.if a pint size ,bottle is desired, aproportionately smaller jacket and bottom will be employed.

The jacket 5 is shaped to fit loosely the bottle tobefilled and charged. It serves several functions: first, that of enclosing the bottle during the charging operation to protect the operator against injury; secondly, it serves.as a support for the charging head B, as this is secured to the upper end of the jacket by aset screw 8 or similar means; and third, it functions as a support for the bottom member D and cooperates with.

head B and thechuck A to force the bottle neck 9 into sealing engagementwith a gasket ill carried by the charging head. The last named function is accomplished as follows:

By referring to Figs. 1 and 3, it will be noted that the lower end of the jacket is provided with four equally spaced bayonet slots, generally indicated at M, and that one face of each slot I4 is provided with a cam surface l5. The chuck A is similarly provided with four slots 5, and the bottom member D with four radially projecting lugs It.

In actual operation, the bottom member D is first placed on the raised central portion 2 of the chuck with the lugs I6 projecting through the .slots 5. The bottle E, substantially filled with water or beverage to be charged, is then placed on the bottom member D, and finally the jacket C, with the head B secured thereto, is slipped .down over the bottle with the slots M in registry with the lugs [6 so as to permit the lugs to enter said slots. The depressed annular channel 3 is of sufficient depth so that when the jacket is applied and rests in the channel, as shown in Fig. 1, the lugs l6 will align with the cam faces I5. Hence by merely grasping the jacket and partially rotating it, camsli will engage the lower faces of the lugs i6 and force the bottom D, together with the bottle E, upwardly within the jacket to bring the neck of the bottle into engagement with the gasket Ill, and to compress the gasket sufiiciently to form a seal between the charging head andthe bottle. The chuck is of great value in thisv connection, as considerable force isapplied, requiringboth hands, when the jacketispartially rotated .againstthe cam faces l5. If it were not for the chuck, one hand would be required to hold the bottom D and the other hand to hold the jacket. In this instance, as the lugs 16 extend through the slots 5, the chuck holds the bottom against rotation and absorbs the entire reaction when the operators hands are applied to the jacket to rotate the same. After the bottom D has been applied and the gasket compressed, the entire mechanism is lifted free of the chuck and is held in the hands of the operator during the charging operation, this being desirable as the bottle should be shaken violently during the charging operation in order that as much of the CO2 gas shall be absorbed as possible.

Before describing the charging operation, a brief description of the charging head per se will be submitted. By referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noted that the head B is provided with an inlet 20 to which a hose 2| is attached. This hose is connected with a tank of CO2 gas, not illustrated, and an exhaust connection is indicated at 22. To this is connected a hose 23 to permit excess gases, exhausted from the bottle after the charging operation, to be carried away. Substantially centrally of the head is formed a combination inlet and exhaust chamber which is indicated at 24. Communicating therewith are two passages 25 and 26. Adjacent the passage 25 is formed an inlet chamber 27 which communicates with the hose 2| and the inlet 20; and mounted in the chamber is an inlet valve 28 which normally engages a seat 29. The valve is secured on a stem 3%] which extends through the passage 25 and a stufiing gland 3!. On the outer end of the stem is secured a pusher head 32, and interposed between said head and the stufiing gland is a spring 33 which normally maintains the valve on its seat. The usual type of operating lever 34 is employed. This lever pivots at 35 and when it is depressed a downward pressure is exerted on the pusher head and valve stem, and valve 28 is opened, both against the pressure of the gases in the chamber 2'! and against the pressure of the spring 33. Similarly, if the valve lever is released, the valve will instantly close, due to the fact that it is actuated not only by the spring 33 but also by the pressure of the gas. A substantially identical valve 36 and actuating mechanism is disposed just below the valve just described. This valve is operated by a lever 31 which, when depressed by the operator, will open the valve 35 and permit exhaust of gases, as Will hereinafter be described.

When the bottom has been applied as previously described, and the gasket compressed, the device as a whole is removed from the chuck and held in the hands of the operator, who will first depress the lever 34 to open the valve 28. In so doing, gases will enter the central chamber 24 and will pass through the passage 28 and through a central opening in the gasket 18, downwardly into the bottle. Gas pressure is thus applied to the bottle E in the space above the liquid, and by violently shaking the bottle and apparatus as a whole, the gas is quickly absorbed. Lever 34 is then released and the gas supply is shut off. It is now necessary to exhaust the gas which has not been absorbed by the liquid in the bottle, as it would be almost impossible to free the bottom D with relation to the jacket while gas pressure is being exerted on top of the liquid. To accomplish this, lever 3'! is depressed. The gas will thus pass by the valve 36 into a by-pass passage 40, and as such will enter the discharge 22 and the hose 23, and may be carried away to any convenient point. Thus the hose 23 then serves as a mufiier to the escaping pressure. When the excess gas is exhausted, lever 31 is released, the jacket is again placed in the chuck with the lugs It in registry with the slots 5, the operator again grasps the jacket with both hands and partially rotates it in a direction opposite to that pre viously described, thus freeing the cam faces l5 with relation to the lugs, and when this is done, the jacket, together with the head B attached thereto, is lifted free of the bottle, the bottle is removed, and a stopper of any character may be applied.

A second bottle, filled with the Water or any desired beverage, is then placed on the chuck, the jacket is slipped over the same, and the lugs l6 are engaged with the cam faces of the jacket by rotation, as previously described. The charging operation may thus be repeated until as many bottles as desired have been charged. The operation of applying and removing the jacket is simply, quickly, and readily accomplished. A perfect seal is at the same time produced. Danger of flying glass by bursting bottles is obviated, etc. As previously stated, any shape or size bottle may be employed, as the jacket may be made to conform thereto and so may the bottom section D.

By referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noted that the sealing gasket 10 has a central opening formed therein, and that the opening is reinforced by a sleeve or furl indicated at Ida. This is important, as when the bottle is moved upwardly against the sealing gasket during the sealing operation, the gasket tends to flatten out and might under certain conditions completely close the central opening. Such closing by squashing or flattening of the gasket is obviously prevented by the use of the sleeve ii'la.

While certain features of my invention have been more or less specifically described and illustrated, I nevertheless wish it understood that changes may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims, and that the materials and finish of the various parts employed may be such as the maker desires or as varying conditions of use demand.

Having thus described and illustrated my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a carbonating apparatus of the character described a combination chuck and support, comprising a raised base with an annular upturned flange surrounding the same, said flange having a plurality of slots formed therein, a bottom member adapted to be placed on the raised base, a plurality of radially disposed lugs on the bottom member adapted to extend through the slots in the flange to prevent rotation of the bottom member with relation to the raised base and the annular flange, said bottom member and the support adapted to receive and support a bottle-enclosing jacket member, and a plurality of bayonet slots formed in the lower end of the jacket member and adapted to receive the radial lugs of the bottom member, said lugs adapted to be interlocked with the bayonet slots by partial rotation of the jacket, said slotted annular flange holding the bottom member against rotation when the jacket is partially rotated.

2. In a carbonating apparatus of the character described the combination of a jacket, a charging head and a sealing gasket carried thereby, of a bottom member insertable in the jacket to retain the bottle when inserted therein, a plurality of bayonet-shaped slots formed in the jacket, a plurality of lugs on the bottom member adapted to extend into said slots, a stationary plate to temporarily receive and support the bottom member, the jacket and the charging head, and means on the stationary plate engaging the lugs of the bottom member to secure the bottom member against rotation, said means permitting rotation of the jacket to interlock the lugs on the bottom member with relation to the bayonet slots in the jacket, said slots having one wall formed as a cam to cooperate with each bottom lug to impart endwise movement to the bottom member and the bottle within the jacket, to force the neck of the bottle into sealing engagement with the sealing gasket.

3. In a carbonating apparatus of the character described, the combination with a jacket, a charging head and a sealing gasket carried thereby, of a bottom member insertable in the jacket to retain a bottle when inserted therein, a plurality of bayonet-shaped slots formed in the jacket, a plurality of lugs on the bottom member extending into said slots, a stationary plate to temporarily receive and support the bottom member, the jacket and the charging head, said plate having an annular flange formed thereon surrounding the jacket and said flange having slots formed therein to receive and retain the lugs on the bottom member when they extend through the bayonet slots, said slotted flange retaining the bottom member against rotation but permitting rotation of the jacket to interlock the lugs on the bottom member with the bayonet slots, said bayonet slots having one wall formed as a cam to cooperate with each bottom lug to impart endwise movement to the bottom member and the bottle within the jacket to force the neck of the bottle into sealing engagement with the sealing gasket.

4. In a carbonating apparatus of the character described, a jacket adapted to receive and enclose a bottle containing a liquid to be charged, a charging head secured to the upper end of the jacket, a sealing gasket to form a seal between the neck of a bottle and the charging head, an inlet and an exhaust valve in the charging head to charge the contents of the bottle and to exhaust and relieve pressure after charging, a detachable bottom member insertable in the lower end of the jacket to retain a bottle when inserted in the jacket and to maintain the neck of the bottle in forcible engagement with the gasket, a plurality of bayonetshaped slots formed in the lower end of the jacket, lugs on the detachable bottom member insertable in said slots, and means for holding the bottom member against rotation while manually rotating the jacket to bring the lugs into or out of engagement with the slots.

5. In a carbonating apparatus of the character described, a jacket adapted to receive and enclose a bottle containing a liquid to be charged, a charging head secured to the upper end of the jacket, a sealing gasket to form a seal between the neck of a bottle and the charging head, an inlet and an exhaust valve in the charging head to charge the contents of the bottle and to exhaust and relieve pressure after charging, a detachable bottom member insertable in the lower end of the jacket to retain a bottle when inserted in the jacket and to maintain the neck of the bottle in forcible engagement with the gasket, a plurality of bayonet-shaped slots formed in the lower end of the jacket, lugs on the detachable bottom member insertable in said slots, a stationary plate having a raised circular-shaped center to receive and support the detachable bottom member, a flange surrounding said plate but at a lower elevation, said flange forming a support for the lower end of the jacket, and means on said flange to engage the lugs on the bottom member to permit relative rotation between the jacket member and the bottom member to bring the lugs into or out of engagement with the bayonet slots.

JOHN S. LUCAS. 

